Dayton Scores High for Lifestyle, Affordability: Study

The city of Dayton is one of the best affordable places to live in the United States. Livability.com has placed the Gem City at number two on its recently released list of Best Affordable Places to Live. Only Round Rock, in Texas, is ranked higher.

When it comes to combining quality of life with affordability, Dayton ranks among the nation’s elite cities. So says Livability.com, which named the Gem City second in the United States on its recently released list of Best Affordable Places to Live. Only Round Rock, in Texas, is ranked higher.

The list is a kind of companion to the website’s annual ranking of The Top 100 Best Places to Live in the United States. Because those small to midsize cities are not necessarily also affordable, however, Livability.com decided to identify cities that are offer an attractive way of life, but at a lower cost.

To find them, Livability.com rated cities on their tax climate and the cost of living in such categories as health care, food and housing, and then factored in its own “LivScore.”

Dayton residents enjoy a high quality of life and have access to numerous amenities. Citing data from the Council for Community and Economic Research, Livability.com noted that Daytonians spend almost 8 percent less on combined living expenses than the average American. Trips to the grocery store and the doctor also cost less.

In another big plus, the website added that Dayton offers the least expensive housing on its list. Its median home value is $69,600, almost 33 percent lower than the national average.